Pharmacy Pearls: Antibiotic Stewardship

Pharmacy Pearls: Antibiotic Stewardship

As a reminder, November 12-18, 2018 is U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week. The CDC is urging healthcare professionals to prescribe antibiotics only when necessary to help fight antibiotic resistance and protect patients from adverse events. During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week the CDC promotes Be Antibiotics Aware, an educational effort to raise awareness about the importance of safe antibiotic prescribing and use.

This edition of Pharmacy Pearls is dedicated to outpatient antibiotic stewardship tools that can be implemented in your practice in order to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and improve first-line prescribing.

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Wound Assessment Descriptors

Refer to these definitions and descriptors as you complete the Essential Assessment Questions

Home Care Referral Considerations

Things to keep in mind:

The patient’s insurance dictates what homecare can provide and must follow regulations for payment

Wound care needs to be skilled, medically necessary and medically appropriate according to evidence-based best practice needing nursing oversight

Specific examples of non-skilled wound care include:

Applying topical ointment

Dry dressing only

Wet to dry dressings

Application of pressure wraps with no open wounds

To provide comprehensive care, please notify any other physician active in patient care of your referral to homecare

Insurance considerations:

Medicare/Medicare HMO patient must be homebound (trouble leaving home without help [e.g., using a cane, wheelchair, walker, or crutches]; needing special transportation; or requiring help from another person) because of an illness or injury, or leaving home isn't recommended because of condition, normally unable to leave home because it's a major effort